Doubting Possibilities
by Yimjeric
Summary: Castaway the doubts; embrace the possibilities. Two-parter. Post-5D. Yusei-POV. Faithshipping. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
1. Doubts

**Doubting Possibilities - Doubts**

* * *

As the crimson skies faded to allow the stars to come out and shine, the chill of the evening settled in with us while we sat on the bench facing towards the bustling highway of Daedalus Bridge. A lamp post dimly illuminated the area Aki and I sat in, giving much needed visibility as we spend the evening there. We just came from Aki's workplace, the local hospital because she received a call to come down even though it was Sunday. Aki was visiting me at Poppo Time so when she received the call, I decided to follow her. She brought along her D-Wheel and I really had no business going either; I, to my dislike, held the title of doctor but I wasn't a medical doctor. Yet I was compelled by a strange influence, a good kind of heart-pumping and magnetic force that made me decide to accompany Aki to her work place.

This strange force was taken over by another, this time the feeling being heart-stomping and defensive when upon reaching the hospital, I let Aki go about her job while I hanged out at the lobby. It was there that I overheard some of the nurses talking about Aki… and her boyfriend. I went hunting for Aki, spotting her talking to what was probably the person over the phone, a guy. I had stood afar from them, not wanting to be discovered yet I couldn't help but keep both of them in view distance. He was acting too friendly to Aki in my opinion; grazing his hands over hers multiple times and both of their laughter reaching my earshot got on my nerves. Even after the whole meeting, with the moon prominently in the skies above, my emotions felt like it was being pulled in two opposite directions, threatening to rip me apart figuratively. Why was I feeling this way?

* * *

Ten years would have passed since we last parted ways at the bridge that we were facing towards. Ten years since Aki and I had an unspoken promise in the garage of Poppo Time. Although we parted physically; I had stayed behind Neo Domino City while Aki went to Germany to study abroad at a medical college, we kept in close contact with one another. I chatted with her whenever I could over the internet, spending hours on end talking about our day, sharing our thoughts with each other and occasional a duel or two. On other times however, we took out our beloved dragons, Stardust Dragon and Black Rose Dragon and we started talking through them; Aki changing the pitch of her lovely voice while I just couldn't bring myself to follow suit, discussing things like love, relationships, what we wanted from our life partner, etc. You get the idea. It was silly to me at first, but doing it with Aki made even silly justifiable. Yet, there was still a lingering sense of doubt in my mind.

So Aki studied college, graduated with flying colors, enrolled into the most prominent university hospital in the capital of Germany and eventually becoming a full fledged and respectable doctor working there as well while still making time for dueling here and there. For me, I spend most of my time in the hands of duel monsters, continuing my research on the Planetary Particles, working on Momentum as well as maintaining Fortune; the program that manages the lifeline of not just Neo Domino City but to the ever increasing number of cities around the world joining the system. While I'm not busy with my work or dueling, I've attended, to my chagrined, award ceremonies giving me multiple honorary degrees from a vast amount of prestigious Universities as well as attaining a proper degree; I would like to think my parents would have wanted me of that. I would have thought that this would make me feel more worthy of Aki.

* * *

So we continued our daily chat for a decade, until the announcement of the Pegasus J. Crawford Cup Trinidad Riding Duel Grand Prix came out. In this long decade I had my fair share of tournaments I participated and won in, of note would be the Legend of Duelist Kingdom and Riding in the Battle City. I even teamed up with my rival and close friend Jack Atlas once more for the Cross-America Golden Tag Tournament and we clinched victory together. This Grand Prix was the same as the original that my friends and I, Team 5D's won before and would require three duelist to participate. I brought this up to Aki; more of an excuse to get her to come back than for the Grand Prix and the next time I saw her was in front of the arrival gate at the airport. I came with her parents of course but the moment her amber eyes locked onto my own azure, I uncharacteristically threw myself at her, hugging Aki and she did too, joy was all I could describe in that moment. While in our embrace I could hear her whisper something to me, "_Ich liebe dich_".

"What does that mean?" I asked sheepishly, her German striking me as being extremely fluent and as some of my sleazy colleagues… complemented, made her _hotter_.

"It means…" She paused for a while which prompted me to let go of our embrace; her eyes looking away from mine and seeing her cheeks redden, before we reconnected and she replied with her adorable smile, "It means I love seeing you again."

Her father gave a loud cough, gaining the attention of their daughter and she embraced both of them while I flushed in embarrassment for daring to greet Aki first over her parents and in such a manner. Mister Izayoi gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder that he meant no hostility for his interruption, but my mind had already wandered towards the endless crowd in the airport; still half-expecting for a European to emerge and introduce himself as Aki's boyfriend or fiancé.

* * *

So I ended up choosing a long-time friend of mine, Kyosuke Kiryu to join us as the third duelist in our team, much to the disappointment of Mukuro Enjo who I was surprise to meet after I defeated him twelve years ago. So while Aki resettled herself in Neo Domino City, Kiryu and I started planning and training for the Grand Prix; me finally taking my long overdue vacation leaves much to the delight of the still Mayor Yeager while Kiryu left his duties as sheriff to his deputies to handle.

Before Kiryu returned to Satisfaction Town after we won the Grand Prix, he had privately told me that he was expecting good news to come soon, throwing glances at Aki waiting at her D-Wheel a distance away from us, both of them had bonded during the tournament; punching my left shoulder for emphasis. I gave him a smile and wished him all the best, his words lingering in my mind as he said his good byes to Aki.

* * *

"When are you going to marry me?" She broke the silence that had covered the evening but all I did was react to the question by turning towards her wide-eyed only to see the beauty giggling at my reaction; embarrassment washed over me once again.

I still remember the first time she threw me off guard with the same question; it was after the Grand Prix had ended and she told me she landed a job at the local hospital as a part time doctor. I quizzed her, wondering why she didn't apply to be a full time doctor instead. She didn't give me a straight answer; all she said was that she had bigger plans, bewildering me because she had never mention of such plans to me before. I, with what I would consider a microscopic amount of jealousy, probed further about her secret plans but she instead stunned me with the question of marriage. The conversation ended with a blush on my face and a woman with a secret that I wasn't allowed to know.

"Are you alright?" Concern was now on Aki's face after recomposing herself from her fits of laughter. "You've been acting like something is troubling you since I needed to go to the hospital." Her lips slowly forming into a cute pout as she leaned forward.

My mind felt like it was in a state of frenzy now; normally I was comfortable with talking to Aki about anything and everything but now... The matter was about her. Ever since she left for Germany, no; even before that, this feeling has always been there; this feeling that I have been avoiding all this time because it goes against logic and reasoning. It was a type of bond, but more than friendship. Upon seeing Aki curious and worrying look on me, there was suddenly a bold part of me that had cut through the struggles in my heart that I have been having. Like a cloud had been lifted and I knew what I had to do at that point; reaching a state of Clear Mind identical to when I'm dueling. Ten years of hiding and avoiding this feeling I had about Aki. I… I wish to know, I want to know, it's time I face the truth.

* * *

"Aki," I begun, my eyes tried to make contact with the lady I called but I ended up darting everywhere but her while my heart beat was loudly audible to me as she waited for me to continue. "What…" I was blinking rapidly at this point, trying to articulate a decade worth of suppressed feelings without scaring her off.

"What… Do you think of me as a person?" I spilled out the most neutral question I could possibly come up with while still having some relevance to what I really want to say.

"Well, you treasure your friends, your thoughts driven by logic, you are very serious with your work and dueling yet calm when faced with a problem. You are a very nice person Yusei." I listened to her answer attentively, thinking- no, feeling that this wasn't the moment.

I posed another question in search of this moment, "So what am I to you?"

Underneath the light coming from the lamp post, I could see a shade of pink beneath her honey-brown eyes. Did I ask an overly sensitive question? Is this the moment where she tells me that I am only a friend to her?

"You're a very important person to me…"

"As important as that guy you just met?" My thoughts slipped out, my jealousy audible with my tone which I both quickly regretted.

"What did you just say?!" Aki raised her voice, shocked at what just came out of my mouth, the scowl on her face made me shrink in fear and yet a hint of allure but I couldn't stop now.

"I overheard the nurses in the hospital saying that you had a boyfriend and you were meeting someone." I admitted.

Aki's scowl changed to an embarrass look, giving a sigh next and then bursting into laughter. I was left in a very confused state; what was all that about? Is this the part where she revealed that they already were engaged to each other?!

"The person I was talking to was one of my patients. He had suffered from a major depression, a break up that he took to heart to the point that he contemplated suicide. I became his reference doctor when I got my job and he recently got better enough that he wishes to go aboard; he was taking the flight out tonight and wanted to say thank you to me before leaving." She explained to me.

Two things went through my mind; one, I couldn't bring myself to fully believe her explanation and two, if this wasn't her boyfriend that the nurses were talking about, who is he then?

* * *

"Then who is this boyfriend of yours…" I swapped between jealousy and sorrow, my entire concentration directed to the floor.

"Well… He's not exactly my boyfriend…"

_Were they already married?_

"It's kind of a joke in the hospital really…"

_Was he one of the staff there?_

"I've known him for over a decade…"

_But that would mean… Kiryu? Crow? Jack?! Lua?!_

"We haven't even gone on an official date yet…"

_No. It can't be…_

"But I've been treating him like my boyfriend ever since."

_Divine._

"I'm not really sure what he thinks of me…"

_Do I still have a chance?_

"But I know my feelings aren't unrequited…"

_What would happen if I confess right now?_

"That person is…"

The calm and collective person that I normally portrayed myself to others was shattered as my emotions overwhelmed me. I started sobbing uncontrollably; my heart felt like it was dying. I knew how much it hurts when I lost a valued friend, but this… This was even worse; it was more than losing somebody I treasured, it was losing somebody I was willing to spend the rest of my life with.

I felt a pair of hands bringing me closer and I didn't care as I collapsed into Aki's arm. The embrace made me felt protected, similar to a mother's warm but yet it was more. I cried even more when I felt her rubbing my hair, cooing to my ears that it was okay. I love Izayoi Aki, I love her.

"You. I love you Fudo Yusei. I love you." She whispered, tightening the embrace that we shared.

* * *

"But… I thought…" I lifted my head, tears still coming out as I blinked rapidly, trying to understand what Aki had just said.

"You fool." She gave a playful punch on to my chest, "all this years you just couldn't see; you may be intellectual amazing but you are the densest person I have ever met."

I didn't know if I should feel joy or embarrassment; the fact that my love was reciprocated or that I didn't even realize I was already with the woman of my dreams for ten years.

"At times, I even wondered… That maybe you would one day just get sick of me and then just leave me." It was her turn to begin to tear. "That all the hints that I've dropped on you were ignored because I just couldn't reach you. I didn't dare tell you my feelings in fear that I was pushing you into a relationship, so I just waited… waiting for you to give me an answer."

I held Aki even closer, the doubts that we had imposed on ourselves flowing away with our tears.

"Do you still remember the words I said to you at the airport when I got back?" We were wiping away each other tears, doing our best to smile at the same time. I tried to pronounce it correctly but I messed up, making Aki giggle; leaving me blushing. She spoke the line perfectly, "_Ich liebe dich_", and it really made her _hotter_. She asked then if I remembered what it meant, that I could do and I echoed what she said, it meant I love seeing you again.

"No. I lied about that. It really meant... I love you." Our faces were now both red, Aki placing her head onto my chest while I bit my lower lip. "I should have said that line before I left for Germany."

"I love you, Izayoi Aki." Like two lost souls meeting each other at long last, we nudged as close to one another until our noses were touching, my azure eyes finally locked to her amber's; our cries soon turn into blissful laughter.

* * *

**Author's note:**

So there are three things to be thankful this Christmas:

1. So a very long time ago a reader wanted me to write a happy-ending sequel to one of my stories: **Vine of Thorns**. So this is sort of the happy-ending AU wrap up (like a Christmas present) for both of my stories **Vine of Thorns** and the **DnM Series**.

2. A special thank you goes out to **melan anime** for supporting me since I started writing on Fan-fiction. :D I deeply appreciate your support! This is the story that you wanted a sequel for.

3. This also commemorate 3 years since the day I posted my very first story: **Let it Snow**. A very big thank you to everyone who supported my works throughout the years.

I don't own 5D's or any of its characters. If you could, please leave a review or favorite the story if you enjoyed it. If you identified a spelling or grammatical error feel free to just point it out.

Merry Christmas!


	2. Possibilities

**Doubting Possibilities – Possibilities**

* * *

"When are you going to marry me?" I flushed once more at Aki's teasing; she practically greets me with that line now ever since we revealed our feelings to each other. It wasn't so bad before we became a couple, she would only use it to divert a topic by posing me with such a sensitive question but now it has become both an evasive tactic and a serious question.

* * *

After the confession that we had to each other, we begun stealthily dating; our fame as a respectable figure in our respective fields of work and our skills as duelists would garner attention that we would rather not have. We told our closest friends though; Kiryu, Jack, Crow, Lua and Luca were among the first to know about it. We received their congratulations, including surprisingly from Jack and our conversation soon shifted to his relationship difficulties with a certain reporter since me and Aki were finally together. The result was an eruption of laughter from everyone and the blond man proclaiming that he had no such thing going on, leading to us all laughing even louder much to his chagrin.

Our very first official date with each other was pretty much a duplicate of our first non-official date; I brought Aki to the same skating ring that we went to when I taught her how to ride a D-Wheel backwards. We were both very surprise that the ring still existed; it's been nine years since we last visited. Neither of us ever had a relationship before so we didn't know how dating works and none of my friends were experts themselves; Jack claimed to be one when I chatted with him, Kiryu and Crow but we all silenced him by asking him to settle his relationship issue first. I may not know how dating works; the internet wasn't a great help despite the depth of information (and what I soon found out, equally full of garbage and… mature content) it has, what I did know was that I wanted Aki to have fun. So we spend our time together, skating, laughing and to end it all off, a dance on skates with matching music and spotlights on us generously provided by the owner who flashed a thumbs up in our direction, leaving us embarrass and yet blissful in each other arms.

So during the day we would work our jobs, me at the momentum facility while Aki would be at the local hospital. But when work ended, we acted like love struck teenagers and were together whenever we could make time for; catching movies, having our meals together, giving tuition to children at the duel academy. I wanted to make up for the last ten years to Aki, things that I should have done with her. Despite how she had aged gracefully, Aki wasn't getting any younger; she was 28 and I was 30. I felt guilty for wasting her primed age waiting for a certain obtuse nerd to sum up the courage to go after her heart. So I dedicated my time to her when I could, it was the least I could do.

* * *

We both knew that our relationship could never be kept under wrapped forever. Apparently I underestimated the gossiping nurses at the local hospital. Aki had kept our romance a secret a bit too well; previously, Aki, to my secret delight, could not stop talking about me in the hospital. She spoke about her boyfriend who wasn't actually her boyfriend but had already been dating for ten years but yet wasn't exactly dating (she just refused to call it unrequited love; and I could see her point. After all, we were in love with each other, it was just that she was waiting for me to make a move and I was waiting for a concrete sign from her that she wanted a relationship with me and the- it's complicated.) Anyway, the nurses picked up that Aki was speaking _less_ about her boyfriend-who wasn't her boyfriend-but is dating-but is not really dating and these extremely resourceful nurses have managed to uncover who her boyfriend is… by finally looking outside the hospital entrance.

It took the world long enough but there was no stopping the news of our relationship from spreading like an epidemic. Due to our fame as doctors (I like to joke that Aki was really the doctor while I was just an engineer) and duelists, the amount of fan-mails and congratulations we both received were overwhelming to us, the local paparazzi were hounding us for an interview which we eventually agreed on giving Carly; the poor girl hadn't got a pay raise for even longer than our unknown attraction to each other. She had dedicated her job to reporting on news regarding Jack and only Jack which her boss wasn't that pleased about but she was happy with her lot. Hopefully by becoming the official reporter of our relationship, this would give her career a much needed boost or finally resolving a certain king to spur into action.

* * *

"I want to revive the Arcadia Movement." That was Aki's answer to me when I picked her up after she tended her resignation at the hospital. I was slyly happy at the content of the box she came out with when she handed it to me to carry; mementos of our time together filled a decent amount of the container, when she dropped the news to me. I had always been curious about her choice of being a part-time doctor rather than a full-time, over the 4 months that she worked at the hospital she didn't show any sign of resentment so her answer finally shed some light about her questionable actions. She brought me to where the Arcadia Movement Building once stood; now just a simple commercial building, the damage to the environment done during the Dark Signer War had all been removed in the decade after the battle. Aki fished into her pocket to take out a key, popping the lock on the front door and beckoning me to enter with her. What I saw inside were furniture still in their packaging and paint cans sealed tight but I could picture the whole place as a clinic of some sort. As I completed my survey of the interior, Aki stood with a dramatic pose and proudly announced the new Arcadia Movement.

"What do you need me to do?" was my response to my amazing girlfriend.

* * *

"If you stay the night, we can go engagement ring shopping right now." I spoke those words hugging Aki's waist firmly from the back, pleading her not to go. We had been official dating for 6 months; during this time, on the weekends Aki stayed with me at Poppo Time and would go back to her parent's home during the weekdays. On this Sunday evening, when she said she was preparing to leave, I didn't want Aki to go home; I desperately wanted her to stay by my side, I am happy with Aki than I would with anyone else, I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

Her first reaction was to pinch me on the arm, something she uses ever since we became a couple when she thought I wasn't Fudo Yusei and was instead being possessed because I was acting so out of character. Her actions left me with blue blacks all over my arms and shoulders, necessitating me to wear a jacket to cover my love marks. I think she just enjoyed torturing me, and well… I enjoyed being tortured by her; it is how we show our love for each other. After her initial disbelief at my bold proposal (which even I couldn't believe), reassure her that everything that just happened was real, Aki's second reaction was to slap me squarely on the face. "Took you long enough." She pouted as I brought her tightly into my arms.

So we took my D-Wheel together to the jewellery shop that Aki would deliberately made us pass by when we went out to ask me when I would marry her; both of us decided that Aki hugging my waist as I rode to our destination would be more romantic and a better story to tell our future children. We got the rings, receiving the blessing of the store clerks before we drove to the same place that we had confess to each other; it felt appropriate to the both of us to do so. So being back at the bench which we marked carefully with the title of the article that Carly gave for our interview 'Faithship', with the lamp post dimly illuminating the area and the Daedalus Bridge across us, I went down on one knee and proposed to the love of my life.

Our wedding was kept to a minimum amount of fanfare; only those closest to us were invited. The media coverage for it though was over the top as if we were the royal family. Gossip news such as the gown Aki wore coming from a boutique that she frequent previously in Germany all the way to if my parents would have accepted our marriage were all absorbed by our fan base who collectively decided to name themselves 'Faithshippers' once again after Carly's article. Said girl was of course given the exclusive coverage to our wedding and the perfect picture of the blushing groom kissing the equally blushing bride.

* * *

"Put this on." Aki thrust me her stethoscope and patted the side of the bed she was sitting on, calling me towards her. It was after hours at her office. Most of her patients, students and staff had already made their way home; leaving us alone together inside the new Arcadia Movement. Half a year went back since the new Arcadia Movement was revived. Despite how Divine's abuse of the organisation had led some of the general public to believe that its reputation was ruined, my wife had put in a tremendous amount of effort in saving the ideals behind the Movement and letting the once dying group flourish once more in offering aid to those who had unexplained powers. Her achievement in fielding an entirely new branch of science on her own had given her the nickname, 'Goddess of Arcadia'. Of course only her husband had the right to call her by that title which she made public on one of the talk shows that she attended; just like how she had decided to call me 'Professor' to tease me about my distaste of the title, I think I was entitled to such a claim.

I obediently followed my Goddess's instruction, cuddling beside her as Aki loosen her hair from her bun when she is on duty to her elbow length hair that she had kept since I knew her, either way still making her look like her namesake in my eyes. I positioned the ear pieces into place, anticipating what I was supposed to hear while my wife placed the other end of the device around her stomach. Frankly speaking, I didn't hear anything coming from the end of medical instrument. But the way Aki looked at me, like a girl showing her parents her good grades from her final exams and the end of the stethoscope being placed at her abdomen, I made the connection.

"How long has it been?" My delight showed through my tone at the prospect of being a father, putting the device down and gazing into the depths of my love.

"How long has it been since you lay on this bed?" She replied tapping on what we were sitting on, a hint of seduction as she whispered her words directly into ears. I felt my cheeks flushed at her answer; our first few… extremely intimate activities were all loving and delicate because both of us… had no experience, we had saved ourselves for each other and were against… premarital engagements. But after the first few times… subsequent passionate events were… with a little lack of better words, very, _very_ _fun_. I mean… we were like bunnies after our honeymoon; something about Germany made us… _daring_. We secretly spoke of our… private behaviours to trusted friends only for them to comment that our… performances could be matched to certain… mature content on the World Wide Web. The last we had was 3 weeks ago when it was after hours while we were both in the very same office and… we were really _really_ in the mood.

So looking past our… personal matters, I honestly told her that I didn't hear anything coming from her abdomen. "Remember," she tapped her forehead, "I'm not an ordinary doctor, Professor Fudo."

"Oh, do tell then Goddess Izayoi; is our child a boy or a girl?" My excitement now fully exposed as I placed my ears to my beloved's flat belly, wanting to feel my child's presence.

"I'm a psychic, not an oracle." She lightly played with my hair as I childishly tried to talk to my unborn child.

"So what is the name of our firstborn?"

* * *

"How's Yuki, dear?" I gently opened the door to our bedroom; she had left the New Year party that we were having in the garage, it was also a gathering for Team 5D's and all our friends and family since the birth of our daughter, Fudo Yuki.

"Honey, I'm a bit busy right now." I blush in embarrassment at catching my wife at such an inconvenience time, doing a 180 to give her the privacy she needed with our child.

Like all first time parents, we were both terrified that the noise from the party would be too much for our daughter. The opposite happened in fact; Yuki absorbed the attention as if she was born to be in the spotlight. Although soon even our energetic bundle of joy needed to rest and get nourishment from her lovely mother.

Once Aki was done feeding Yuki, I entered our room to check up on the two most important women of my life; embracing my wife, sharing a light kiss with each other and showering all our attention to our daughter. She had my azure eyes and her mother's features, her hair hasn't grown yet so we were still wondering whose hair she inherited, in place she had a cute yellow beanie covering her little head.

We took out our individual dragons from our deck boxes to play with Yuki; she especially loves it when we talk to her through them while she held her own card, Blue Rose Dragon. Even the other dragons of Team 5D's were warmly received by her. It was hilarious for us and the guest to see Jack trying to talk to Yuki through Red Demon Dragon, teaching her how to choose boys which our dear daughter responded by poking him on the forehead and snatching the card away, playing with Red Demon Dragon by herself. Thankfully, Crow, Lua and Luca fared better than him.

"Yuki, what do you think of having another sibling to play with?" Aki was beginning her mind games on me yet again, using our daughter to get her point across, her feline eyes reflecting her… _desire_ when she turned towards me after asking our daughter. There was no hiding from my wife what I was thinking; she could feel it using her powers so I did my best puppy dog eyes that I could, hoping that mercy would be given to me after the party. Our little angel, oblivious to the tension her parents were having slipped her tiny hands into my deck, pulling a card out before she squealed for our attention. We both took a look at the card our princess drew, Stardust Xiaolong; our daughter left us both blushing and laughing.

"Yusei, what naughty things are you doing with my daughter-in-law while my granddaughter is still inside?" Martha was calling us (specifically me as she has always does) from the bedroom door which reminded me why I went up in the first place. I gestured to my Goddess to take my hand with our little princess in her arms; it was almost time for the New Year.

* * *

**Author's note:**

This story has been a long time coming; I had always wanted to write this story and had a lot of ideas about what happen after this amazing series ended. But... real life occurred which left me on a depressing story streak. But finally, this story is out of my head and for you guys to read.

A special thank you goes out to **Saki-Rose Chan** for supporting me. :D I deeply appreciate your support! I hope you enjoy this fanfic.

I don't own 5D's or any of its characters. If you could, please leave a review or favorite the story if you enjoyed it. If you identified a spelling or grammatical error feel free to just point it out.

Happy New Year!


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